NEW: Statement from Lt. Gov. Murray on Boston Marathon Bombings

The sun rose over Boston Harbor today at 6:01. It illuminated a city that grieves but does not crumble. A Commonwealth that is at once stunned and committed to action. It cast a warm light on people from every corner of the globe who came to Massachusetts this week to be part of a glorious tradition and found themselves bound up in a moment of terror.

Whether or not the criminals who planted and detonated the bombs in Boston yesterday chose Patriots’ Day for its symbolic impact is not the point. What matters is that today, as we reach out to those who suffer and pursue those responsible for this barbarous act, we draw our strength from what began in Massachusetts 238 years ago this week.

From the light that shined in the Old North Church, to the first stand of American volunteers on Lexington Green, Patriots’ Day celebrates the moment of freedom’s birth. It was a moment that changed the world.
History does not move in a straight and steady line. We do not overlook our faults, or the mistakes of our ancestors, or the fact that the birthright of freedom was denied for too many for too long, because none among us are perfect beings. But the ideal of freedom continues to march on. Every day good people do their part to perfect this union and to support those who still struggle for their inalienable rights. That’s why our Commonwealth, our country, and those who live in freedom around the world share a bond that cannot be broken by malicious acts.

Today, please join with me and Governor Patrick as we offer our prayers, and our hands of help, to those who have been hurt by the events in Boston yesterday. We give thanks and praise for all who responded so heroically. And we remember that the sun rose over Boston Harbor today. It shimmered through the rigging of the USS Constitution as a beacon for all people who know that freedom will prevail.